


Brotherly Instincts

by Headphone_Love



Series: Forget Me Not [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Brotherly Love, Friends helping out Friends, Gen, Getting Together, Hinata Shouyou & Tsukishima Kei Friendship, Hurt Hinata Shouyou, Implied Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Love Confessions, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Protective Tsukishima Kei, Rejection, Volleyball Dorks & Nerds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 03:34:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13286136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Headphone_Love/pseuds/Headphone_Love
Summary: Hinata turned his head to look over at him, not meaning to catch Tsukishima's gaze, his heart stopping in shock. Tsukishima seemed to catch this, taking a moment before sighing deeply and crossing his arms.“What?” Hinata muttered quietly, Tsukishima leaning down towards him.“Not that I care or anything,” Tsukishima began, Hinata knowing that the expression he had must have been amusing to the blond before him. “But have you eaten yet?





	Brotherly Instincts

**Author's Note:**

> A prequel to "Unrequited"!  
> \-------------  
> One of the few side stories I have had planned for like ever but wrote in one sleepless night because ya know, inspiration strikes at the most random times. 
> 
> Plus I just love protective Tsukishima <3 
> 
> I hope you enjoy 
> 
> ~HxL

Hinata sucked in a breath, eyes wide. He hadn’t meant to...he had said it aloud even though he _knew…_

His brown eyes rose to stare at Kageyama, the setter’s face twisted into what Hinata believed was disgust. Kageyama had paled considerably due to him—due to his _confession_. Hinata knew he should look away, but it was like he was frozen in his spot. Even breathing seemed more difficult at this point with his heart constricting in his chest. His eyes were watering from how long he had been staring, unable to close until Kageyama did something.

Said _anything_.

Clearing his throat, Kageyama put a hand on the back of his head and looked away. It was like he was trying to sum up the words to describe what he was feeling, Hinata feeling a bit of guilt from that, considering how emotionally constipated Kageyama already was. He didn’t want him to retreat back into his shell because of him.

The wind blew the leaves around them, Hinata’s hair fluttering and covering his eyes. He was thankful it blew when it did, as it knocked some sense into him. He bowed his head down, hiding it from Kageyama's view.

“I don’t see you like that,” Kageyama spoke finally, sounding more awkward than when they had met in middle school. “Sorry.”

Hinata bit down on his lower lip, letting out a forced laugh and turning so his back faced the setter. He ruffled the back of his hair, attempting to keep his voice steady. “I knew this was probably what was going to happen,” he admitted, taking a deep breath. The tears that slipped down his cheeks were ignored, the sound of footsteps behind him making him hold out a hand. The steps stopped. “Thank you...for at least hearing me out.”

Kageyama’s deep breath almost made Hinata shudder, the setter going silent except for when he said. “Don’t let it get you down.”

Hinata raises a hand to wipe the tears away as best he could, taking a deep breath from his mouth to avoid revealing how he was crying. The last thing he needed was for Kageyama to see him sniffling and trying to breathe through a stuffy nose. He tried to process his teammate’s words, but the more he thought about them, the more he realized how disconnected the two were off the court.

Kageyama would have never said ‘Don’t let it get you down.’ if he knew how Hinata felt.

How strongly Hinata loved the idiot setter.

When he was sure he was calm enough, he turned to look over his shoulder at Kageyama and grinned, shocking the other. “You better not make this awkward between us.”

Kageyama scoffs in disbelief and lifts his bag higher onto his shoulder. He turned his back to Hinata and raised a hand. “As if I would,” he defended, “Go home.” he started, beginning to walk before stopping again. “And, Goodnight. Text me when you get there.”

“I’ll get there before you will,” Hinata challenged, noticing the other tense.

“Like hell!” Kageyama said before dashing off, Hinata glad his partner was as predictable as usual even in such an awkward situation. Hinata wasn’t sure how much longer he would have been able to hold in the pain he felt in his chest, the middle blocker crouching down and hugging his knees.

“Even though I knew...why does it hurt so much?” Hinata whispered to himself, shoving his face into his knees and trying his best to keep the noise down. He remembered Kageyama’s expression, his body language….

 _Fuck_.

“And then he tells me to get home safe…” Hinata grumbled, hugging his knees tighter to his chest. His heart rammed against his chest, Hinata wondering if the inside of one’s chest can get bruised like the outside.

“How can you reject me and tell me to text you then want me to give you up?”

* * *

 “You’re back late, shrimp. Did his _majesty_ keep you?”

Hinata flinched at the words, laughing tiredly to hide it. “No, I actually had something to talk to him about. It was about the quick,” he lied, though Tsukishima didn’t seem entirely convinced. He must not have cared much because he didn’t ask any more questions.

Hinata removed his shoes, dropping the bag and promising he’d go back for it later. He shuffled to the living room where Tsukishima sat on the floor in front of their table. It was still weird having someone to come home to that happened to be his teammate, but it wasn’t as weird as it had been months ago.

Hinata sat on the left of the table, eyeing the television with red eyes. “Is Natsu already asleep?” he questioned lightly.

“Your mom put her down before she went out with my dad,” Tsukishima offered with a nod, also watching the television. They never really looked at each other when they spoke, though it wasn’t because they disliked each other. Hinata had learned that Tsukishima rarely stared people down unless he was attempting to get in their heads. The blond enjoyed multitasking, often aiming to do homework and listen to music, or talk and watch television. It was a weird habit, but one that Hinata appreciated considering he had a bad tendency to ask questions during shows and movies. Surprisingly, Tsukishima didn’t tell him to shut up like other people did.

“You should shower. I did already, and I’ll be damned if you stink up the hall cause you were lazy,” Tsukishima said as he placed the remote by Hinata and stood, stretching out his limbs. Hinata turned his head to look over at him, not meaning to catch Tsukishima's gaze, his heart stopping in shock. Tsukishima seemed to catch this, taking a moment before sighing deeply and crossing his arms.

“What?” Hinata muttered quietly, Tsukishima leaning down towards him.

“Not that I care or anything,” Tsukishima began, Hinata knowing that the expression he had must have been amusing to the blond before him. “But have you eaten yet?

* * *

As Hinata reheated his dinner, Tsukishima could see that there was something off about him. After close examination, he could see the idiot wasn’t physically injured—he might have confronted his majesty if Hinata had been—and so chalked it up to mental distress.

When Hinata sat across from him and poked at his food, Tsukishima rolled his eyes.

“Answer a question for me,” Tsukishima said, tilting his head to the side.

“I did already,” Hinata muttered, motioning to the food as Tsukishima snorted.

Leaning forward, Tsukishima made sure Hinata was paying attention. “I only asked you that so you wouldn’t run off to your room without answering my real one,” he admitted. “Hence why I said, ‘not because I care’ before asking.”

Looking less than amused, Hinata leaned forward as well. “What makes you think I still won’t leave if I don’t want to talk?” he said with a narrowed gaze. Tsukishima was surprised a person like Hinata could make such a look. He had learned enough in the last few months to realize that Hinata was weird, but a lot more human than he had given credit for. That made this reaction all the weirder.

“You hate wasting food. Especially your mom’s food. That is why you won’t leave until you eat it,” Tsukishima pointed out, Hinata straightening up and looking down at the food. Sensing his irritation, Tsukishima continued. “Did something happen?”

Taking a moment, Hinata shoves a huge ball of rice into his mouth, Tsukishima scrunching his nose in slight disgust. Hinata eyed him challengingly. “I dought you di’nt caah?”

“I don’t,” Tsukishima said easily, Hinata chewing and keeping his gaze on the food. “At least chew right, damnit.”

Hinata rolled his eyes and placed his utensils down, swallowing the food in his mouth. “For someone who doesn’t care, you keep trying to find out what’s wrong like someone who does.”

Deciding that for once, he wouldn’t mind playing loser, Tsukishima rolled his neck. “Look. I know I told you that when our parents started dating that we shouldn’t act like we are all brother brother...but this is fine,” he said calmly. “Tell me what your problem is. I’ll _attempt_ to help.”

“No,” Hinata said immediately, shaking his head. “You’ll make fun of me.”

Humming, Tsukishima shrugged his shoulders. “If it’s a stupid problem, probably,” he said, Hinata tensing and parting his lips to speak. Tsukishima held up a hand to relax him, eyes warning him to let him finish. “But if it was stupid, you wouldn’t look so worn out about it, would you?”

Surprised at the compassion, Hinata looked up with slight wonder in his eyes. Tsukishima expected him to explain now, though instead, Hinata’s eyes began to water. The tears slipped down his cheeks faster than Tsukishima could react, Hinata’s face completely neutral minus his red eyes and cheeks.

Tsukishima must have made an expression that Hinata found funny, as the idiot let out a small laugh.

“You look scared,” Hinata said softly, Tsukishima feeling a bit of red tint his cheeks.

Clearing his throat and standing to find some tissues, Tsukishima shrugged. “You…” he began, glad that the tissues hadn’t run out considering the flu that had run rampant in their household not even a few weeks ago. “I didn’t know crying was a setting you had,” he said honestly, feeling lame at the explanation. He sat again, holding the box out as Hinata took it gratefully.

“Usually it isn’t,” Hinata admitted, Tsukishima feeling like there was a story there. He made a mental note to ask another time. “But I did something incredibly stupid.”

 _‘Isn’t that your usual?’_ Tsukishima wanted to say, the insults so natural and instinctive that he nearly did. Nodding, he allowed Hinata to go on.

“I confessed to Kageyama.”

The kitchen dove into silence, Hinata watching his food and Tsukishima watching him.

So one half of the idiot duo liked the other. If Tsukishima had to be honest, he and the others had spoken about it. The two were practically stuck at the hip and shared a brain…

Apparently, their hearts were completely their own, though.

What a shame.

“I should’ve known the king was behind this,” Tsukishima said, running a hand through his hair. “How did he react?”

Hinata sniffed, keeping his face hidden behind tissues as he eyed the blond through red eyes. “How do you think?”

Tsukishima, unable to think of a retort—smart or sincere—simply allowed Hinata to cry out his emotions in the kitchen. He was glad that no one else was around, as he was sure Hinata will feel embarrassed about this once he came to his senses. While Tsukishima had been honest about not caring about Hinata’s problem, now he wondered why his breathing felt a little more strained. It was an effort to breathe normally, and with each hiccup or shake of Hinata’s shoulders, it got worse. Looking down, Tsukishima noticed how tightly he was gripping the tablecloth, letting it go once he discovered the reason.

He was pissed.

Taking another look at Hinata, he came to the conclusion that it wasn’t anger towards this idiot, but the other one.

His _fucking_ majesty.

Before he could stop himself, Tsukishima reached out to place a hand on Hinata’s head. Hinata froze at the contact, opening his eyes to stare at Tsukishima again. This made the blond feel even angrier, a breath of disbelief leaving his lips.

_‘I wonder if you would even care if you saw Hinata like this, you moronic king.’_

“You shouldn’t let someone like him have this much of an influence on you,” Tsukishima suggested, Hinata doing his best to stop the tears and calm his breathing.

“I know,” Hinata replied with a nod, "but I shouldn’t have done it at all. I couldn’t keep the feelings in and so I said it and now he will feel awkward and…”

Gripping Hinata’s hair in irritation, Tsukishima leaned forward. Hinata whined at the grip but was forced to listen when Tsukishima glared daggers at him.

“Why are you still worried about him? He’s probably passed out like a baby right now,” Tsukishima reasoned, Hinata flinching. “He isn’t who you should be focused on. Focus on yourself, you little…”

Hinata watched on with a pained expression, lips pressed together tightly. Feeling self-conscious, Tsukishima sighed. “Worry about your own mental state before you go worrying about his,” he rephrases. “I am not saying this to be rude, but you were able to get out what you wanted to say, right?”

Hinata nodded again, unable to form a word. Tsukishima bet he was overwhelmed.

“Then why regret it? This isn’t like you, shrimpy. Just because he doesn’t feel the same doesn't mean your feelings are invalid.”

Swallowing, Hinata leaned forward, forgetting about the hand in his hair. “Are you trying to make me feel better, Tsukishima?”

Tsukishima could feel his eye twitch, wondering if his words had gone in one ear and out the other.

Hinata didn’t wait for an answer, brightening a bit and smiling slightly. “Thank you.”

Another feeling entered Tsukishima’s chest, but he ignored it as he let go of his teammate. He grabbed a handful of tissues and shoved them into Hinata’s face, the other squawking at the act.

“Clean up your face.”

“Okay.”

“Make sure you eat the rest of your dinner.”

“I will.”

“Don’t forget to shower before you go to sleep.”

“I won’t.”

Tsukishima watched Hinata for a moment, the ginger eyeing him with a lighter expression. Feeling like he had done all he could and not wanting to risk anymore mushy situations, Tsukishima stood. Unable to withhold it, he chuckled, thinking he must have gone insane. “I’m going to bed.”

“Good night, Tsukishima.”

“Night...idiot.”

* * *

The next morning, Hinata could hear the shuffling outside of his room, assuming everyone was up. He turned onto his side, body sore from the awful night’s sleep, and grabbed his fully charged phone from the nightstand. He eyed the time, about to fall asleep for a few more minutes before realizing he had never managed to text Kageyama the night before.

“Shit,” he whispered, opening his phone to find seven messages, all new. He sucked in a breath and opened his chat with Kageyama.

 

(11:34) Kageyama: Got back. You didn’t get lost, did you?

Oi. You didn’t text. Are you home?

(11:45) Kageyama: You better be home, dumbass.

I’ll assume you are there

Sorry for tonight

I won’t make it awkward if you won’t

Have a good night, Hinata

 

Feeling the lump in his throat form again, Hinata shut the phone off without replying, closing his eyes and dreading morning practice.

“I’ll stop loving you, Bakageyama,” Hinata promised quietly. “I won’t ever give you a reason to stop playing volleyball with me.”

* * *

Tsukishima ruffled Hinata’s hair, ignoring the weird looks he got from the others. “Back up before you jump next time,” he offered as advice, Hinata looking a little better but still seeming distracted.

“Right,” Hinata replied, nodding. “Thanks.”

Tsukishima nodded and placed a hand on his back, pushing him towards his duffle. “Go get some water. I don’t need you collapsing. Last time you did Natsu had a stroke.”

When Hinata jogged over to do so, Yamaguchi seemed to appear next to Tsukishima in an instant, the blond raising a brow.

“Is something wrong with Hinata?”

Tsukishima should have known that of all people, Yamaguchi would notice the smaller details. He was good at that, but only with certain people.

“He got rejected,” Tsukishima said honestly, Yamaguchi’s eyes widening at the news.

“He...He confessed to someone?! I didn’t know Hinata was even interested in people like that yet,” Yamaguchi mumbled, thumb pressed against his lip as he fell into thought. Tsukishima raised a hand and coughed to hide the smile threatening to form on his lips.

“Who?” Yamaguchi asked once he returned to reality, realizing that he had raised his voice and fixing it immediately.

“Guess,” Tsukishima said with a bit more bite than intended, unable to help the anger he felt towards the stupid king who had somehow entranced his probably-soon-to-be-brother.

After a few moments, Yamaguchi froze, returning his eyes to Tsukishima and shaking his head. “No.”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Sighing deeply, Yamaguchi crossed his arms and frowned. “That must be why you were checking up on him all day,” he said, Tsukishima not missing the slight teasing tone. He scowled, turning to pick up a ball so he could practice serves.

“I wasn’t.”

“Uh huh, sure,” Yamaguchi said with a grin, Tsukishima unable to tear his eyes away. He opted to lean forward instead, tilting his head as the brunet turned red in the face.

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

Much to Tsukishima’s shock, Yamaguchi leans in closer, shaking his head. “This time I won’t. This involves you, so I can’t let you lie to yourself. Do you like Hinata?”

Looking offended, Tsukishima looks away, eyeing the ginger who had his head in his hands while he sat and rested. “Not in the way you are thinking,” he replied calmly. Tsukishima pulled out his phone, feeling the confused gaze of his best friend on him. He held up his phone to the other’s face, revealing a photo of his family with Hinata’s own. His older brother held Natsu on his shoulders, his father holding Hinata’s mother bridal style, and him comically dealing with a rowdy Hinata on his back.

Yamaguchi seemed unsure if the photo was real, grabbing Tsukishima’s hand and pulling it closer so he could get a better look. “That...what...wait...I don’t…”

Tsukishima pulls the phone away and smirks, placing it back into his pocket. “Hinata has a chance of becoming my brother. I guess that the shrimp got under my skin even when we agreed we wouldn’t act grossly related.”

Silence came over the best friends for a moment, Yamaguchi’s red cheeks not missed by Tsukishima.

“I guess this is how Akiteru feels whenever he can’t help me with my issues,” Tsukishima muttered, hating how he was kind of... _enjoying_ being an older brother to Hinata and Natsu despite the former being older than him. It pissed him off that he gained a family member only to have him get swept up in the King’s dance.

“Sorry for assuming, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi said, messing with the edge of his shirt. Tsukishima snapped from his inner brooding, eyeing Yamaguchi’s hands. Seeming to piece together what had happened, Tsukishima chuckling to himself.  

“Don’t be...it was nice seeing you so _jealous_.”

Speechless, Yamaguchi began waving his hands in the air, face growing redder. “I wasn't! I really wasn’t, you got that all wrong and…”

The more Yamaguchi spoke, the more Tsukishima realized how similar a situation he was in compared to his fellow middle blocker. If Hinata could do it…

“Yamaguchi.”

The brunet stopped speaking, looking like he would pass out at any moment if Tsukishima wasn’t quick about this.

Tsukishima leaned in, admiring the way that his friend’s face appeared to be glowing red.

“Go on a date with me.”

 


End file.
